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14 Jan 2026
Hope in Hard Places with Landra Hughes

We all face seasons that test our strength and our faith. In the first episode of 2026, Sarah sits down with author, speaker, mother, and church leader Landra Hughes to share how faith carried her through life’s hardest moments. Her story is honest, inspiring, and the perfect way to begin a new year with renewed hope.

0:00
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Host
Landra Hughes
Guest

Episode Timeline

All Episodes
01:36
Landra introduces herself and talks about what she’s leaning into in 2026
02:31
Landra talks sourdough (and shares her recipe)
08:30
Talk about Landra’s books and her inspiration for writing them
21:28
Landra’s take on judgment and talking to kids about it
32:23
Landra talks about the power of God even in the worst moment, like losing her sister to alcoholism
44:21
Talking to kids about loneliness
57:02
How does Landra speak to women who are in a supportive role but know they are meant to do more?
66:39
Landra’s closing words for everyone watching or listening
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Full Transcript

00:00
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Happy New Year. I'm Sarah Zubiate Bennett, and I'm so excited to kick off 2026 with you on Let's Talk Local. This first episode has been a long time coming, and I'm thrilled to finally share it with you. Today's guest is Landra Hughes, A wife, mother, author, church leader and friend whose honesty and resilience continue to inspire me and many others. I know her story will inspire you too.
00:23
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Thank you for starting the new year off with us. We've got so much great content coming your way and I cannot wait to share it with you. Landra. Yes. It's 2026.
00:49
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
It's taking us a moment to get this scheduled. Yes. January. I frankly had an exhausting holiday week or several weeks. And so I'm so glad to be sitting here with you.
01:02
Landra Hughes
Hey, I am too.
01:03
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
January. I can't wait for our viewers and listeners to get to know you. Thank you. You're a new friend of mine. I'm so grateful to God that our paths crossed.
01:13
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But if you can, tell everyone a little bit about yourself, Landra.
01:18
Landra Hughes
And
01:20
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
maybe some of the things that you're leaning into this year. Like for myself I'm leaning into faith first always, forgiveness, my family, and a refocus on my health. But I'm interested to hear about you first and then a little bit about what you're leaning into this year.
01:35
Landra Hughes
Yes, well I'm a pastor's wife and I'm a pastor's daughter.
01:38
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
You are.
01:39
Landra Hughes
So I kept it in the family. But I am married for almost ten years now, which is crazy. Time flies when you're having kids. We have three kids. My daughter Sterling is eight.
01:48
Landra Hughes
Jackson is five. And Bear just turned four in December.
01:52
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And they're beautiful. Yes, thank
01:54
Landra Hughes
you Tell us the church.
01:55
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yes.
01:55
Landra Hughes
The church. And my dad's a pastor of fellowship church in Grapevine. Have many campuses, Frisco, Dallas, Fort Worth, and then online too as well. And then my husband is also a pastor at the church. So it's a fun little family thing.
02:08
Landra Hughes
I have a twin sister. Her husband's at the church. My brother works at the church. So we keep it in the family. And it's huge.
02:15
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Huge. It's a mega church.
02:16
Landra Hughes
Yes. It's fun. And when you get connected, it's like a small church.
02:20
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I don't
02:20
Landra Hughes
know if you've felt that. For sure. And so I'm also a wife, and I am a mother. And then I'm also an author and a speaker, which is so fun to add that to my list of things I do. And then I also make sourdough bread, as you know.
02:32
Landra Hughes
Oh my gosh, that's So I have a little Best
02:34
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
sourdough bread ever.
02:36
Landra Hughes
Thank you.
02:37
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Oh my gosh. Do you ever share your recipe or no?
02:39
Landra Hughes
I do. You do? My way, most people make sourdough bread. They follow directions. They look online, everything.
02:47
Landra Hughes
I am more like, I don't have time for that, so I'll make my own version. And I made my own version that's foolproof. And that's brought Yes. To my Yes. And so I love it.
02:57
Landra Hughes
And so I love adding that to my little collections of what I do.
03:00
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Can you share the recipe for
03:01
Landra Hughes
Yes, will share the recipe. I know. And everyone asks you to start with starters. Can I have some starter? I'm like, sure.
03:07
Landra Hughes
It'll be great. But anyway, sourdough. Yes, the sourdough recipe. But yeah, wife, mother, busy doing all of the things.
03:15
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
She cooks everything from scratch, by way. I read that in your book and I was like,
03:19
Landra Hughes
what? I tried to because really thought do you know a girl named Ballerina Farm?
03:24
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yes. I She don't know her, but I know of
03:27
Landra Hughes
her. She lives in Utah, has the most beautiful farm. Has 15 kids, not really but more like
03:32
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
seven. And
03:33
Landra Hughes
she cooks everything from scratch. And I'm like really? I think there's so many diet fads, oh keto this or low carb and all this stuff. But if we just eat real food with real ingredients, it's great for our And so I can still have flavor with real food. You can use grass fed butter, all this stuff.
03:50
Landra Hughes
And so that's where I was like, you know what, I'm just going to start making things from scratch. Of course our family goes through Chick fil A. That's a normal thing.
03:58
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
It's spiritual. Hello. It's
03:59
Landra Hughes
Christian And so we do a little bit of both. But anyway, I love just being at the church. I love helping my husband. I love helping my dad. And I just love connecting with people.
04:09
Landra Hughes
That's my passion. But my passion is helping other women. And I'm able to do that just from my own story of what I've walked through, what our family has walked through. I'll share a little bit more about that later. But for 2026, I'm really going in expectant to what God is going to do.
04:25
Landra Hughes
I have felt so convicted about actually reading God's word. That's right. And it's crazy because
04:31
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I did that with my sister mom and si and Irene. Okay. My sister-in-law last year. Oh, yes. We did
04:37
Landra Hughes
the Bible app. Yes. Yep. Okay, so I'm a pastor's kid and pastor's wife, and I have never fully read the Bible all the way through.
04:45
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Got you.
04:45
Landra Hughes
Okay. I know. Got you. And see, you're like, get out of here.
04:47
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
No, no, no, no. But that is so beautiful for you to even admit. Yes. Because a lot of people I think would lie and pretend. But this is why I love her.
05:00
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
You are honest, you are real, And we'll explore that in the conversations about your book. But continue.
05:06
Landra Hughes
No. And so I've never fully read the bible. Cover to cover. Even the maps. So growing up in church, I've probably heard almost every scripture verse, but I've always been intimidated a little bit.
05:16
Landra Hughes
And when people ask me certain questions, I'm like, well I know the Bible, but I don't know where that scripture verse is, all this stuff. So I feel like I've honestly put it on the back burner. And the Lord has just each year, each month have been tugging my heart like you need to open God's word. You need to open this guidebook that I've given to you. And I feel like when you do, amazing things are going to take place in your life.
05:37
Landra Hughes
But ultimately when that happens, we're like, oh, well I have my phone. I have other things. I have books to read, all of this stuff, when really the most important thing is God's word. And so I felt that conviction. And so I was like, you know what?
05:47
Landra Hughes
I'm gonna do it this year. And so I'm on day five and I'm doing the bible. Honestly, I learned so much just from the book of Genesis. My husband is amazing. He knows so much theology, he's read the bible so many times.
06:01
Landra Hughes
And so I ran to him, learned so much in Genesis. And he was like, great honey. And I'm telling you, for anyone out there, I speak. I speak, I've written messages, all this stuff, and I've read commentaries, all this stuff, but I've never fully read it through and through. And I say that for anyone who is struggling with that and wrestling with it, just pick up God's word and start to read it and let it read you.
06:24
Landra Hughes
Let it come into your life and see what God's gonna do through you opening up God's word. So that's what I'm expecting for in 2026.
06:32
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
That's great.
06:32
Landra Hughes
So many things for our family, you name it. I'm just excited.
06:35
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
See that makes me just so happy. And I have to tell you a little bit about her husband. The way you talk about him in your book, it made me laugh because there's a part in her book and again it's been a minute. Don't worry. Said something like Is it the first I'm not inviting.
06:49
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
No it's the second one. So yes, because I didn't read a different kind of book Don't worry,
06:56
Landra Hughes
well that one I did But talk about in one
06:57
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I will. Got you. But in Where's God in This? Yes. She says something like, I'm not actively inviting women to gawk at my husband.
07:06
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But I thought to myself, oh this is freaking history.
07:10
Landra Hughes
I know, exactly. Because I started describing him, and I was like wait a second, I can't describe him too much.
07:16
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
These girls
07:16
Landra Hughes
are going to be like, is this novel?
07:18
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Oh, it's funny. But I have to explain something to you. She and
07:22
Landra Hughes
her husband are both very
07:25
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
lovely looking people. But last night or no, it was yesterday in the morning. So Okay, go to about three churches. I go to St. Rita, it's a Catholic church.
07:36
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
My online church is fellowship. And I have to say, it's not just online. Even if I go to Mass, I will do your online church. And then we also go to the Cowboy Church in Athens, Texas because we're there halftime. My son, Louis, he's in I want go
07:52
Landra Hughes
to the Cowboy Church. It's so good. I want to go.
07:54
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
You will love it. We have this new pastor. He's so sweet. I love it. You all will love it, it's But Lewis sends me this message yesterday and I shot the screenshot to Landra.
08:05
Landra Hughes
So cute.
08:06
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And he says something like, oh yeah, I'm going to send this to you Shannon. Mommy the fellowship message was great today, I just watched it. And I said makes me so happy, I'm about to watch it when I drive home. So I did and it was her husband Brad. He's so relatable.
08:21
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yes, thank you. He is so. And that's why I see why he works so much with the youth. Yes. I cannot tell you the number of times Lewis loves your husband.
08:31
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Aw, He made an impact just by spending a few days with him at
08:36
Landra Hughes
our ranch. Aw, thank you.
08:38
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I love it.
08:38
Landra Hughes
And it's just special. Well, your kids are amazing.
08:41
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Thank you.
08:41
Landra Hughes
Literally, I was sitting there with you, and we literally told you that. Was like, okay, Sarah, tell me the tricks. Because I'm around your kids, and they're absolutely amazing. They're beautiful. And they're just lights.
08:51
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Thank you.
08:52
Landra Hughes
Every time I see a picture I'm of like, I know those beautiful kids because they're such lights.
08:56
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Thank you
08:57
Landra Hughes
so much, Thank that's sweet. You. And
09:00
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
what I think is just interesting about both you and I is that you and I, we live a wonderful life. But we have also been through hell. We've been through hell. And reading your book, I I was between laughing like I just and shared with crying and chuckling, it is such a good read. Again the book that I read, I'm sorry I haven't read the first one.
09:30
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
No, no. But there were parts of it that had me just actively feeling a lot of grief because you share so much about your sister and your own struggles. You okay sharing a little bit about what inspired you to write about that and what you were hoping people would take away from it?
09:53
Landra Hughes
Yeah, of course. So I wrote my first book, A Different Kind of Love Story. And it came out at the best time during COVID. It literally launched the February 2020. So I had this whole book tour, everything scheduled, and literally when the world shut down it was like.
10:09
Landra Hughes
And so my heart and soul was in that first book. That was really my story of what I've gone through. And so with my publishing company, I had a two book deal. And so I write the first one. I'm like, oh, this was great.
10:21
Landra Hughes
And then I was like, I don't have to worry about the second one for a while. Well, that's not how it works. So February comes out, my book comes out. Then all the way to December, they start reaching out to me. And they're like, hey, I want you to start thinking about what you're gonna write.
10:34
Landra Hughes
And I'm like, what am I gonna write? I just poured my heart out in the first one and no one's bought it. No, I'm joking. But People bought it was in Barnes and Noble, is fun. But I was just, I didn't know what to write about.
10:47
Landra Hughes
And so I just started praying. I'm like, okay, well this doesn't come to mind. I told my husband. Really when you write a book, it truly has to be from your heart. And I believe that God has to give that to you because when you start writing and those pages come, you have to fill those pages.
11:00
Landra Hughes
And for me, I didn't want them just to be words on a paper. I wanted them to mean something for someone. And so I was just praying about it. Was like, in December I was like, don't know what I'm supposed to write about. And so then January 19, so it'll be five years, this January 19, Leebeth passes away, my older sister, and she died of alcoholism.
11:20
Landra Hughes
And so she was a binge drinker, really just struggled. And she was the most beautiful woman. I think I showed you a picture of her. Stunning. She worked at our church but she struggled with addiction.
11:31
Landra Hughes
And it it took her manifested later for her, Yes. It manifested so later. Like my parents didn't drink alcohol all growing up it was something that she wasn't a partier in Dallas It all this was her way of coping. And so she went through some really bad relationships. We all got married and she stayed single.
11:49
Landra Hughes
And so I think that was really hard for her. So she just because she wanted to be a mother.
11:53
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
She wanted to be a
11:54
Landra Hughes
wife. Wife. She wanted to be And she was never given that. I think that it was just something that she really wrestled with. And she went to rehab, all this stuff.
12:04
Landra Hughes
But ultimately, it didn't work It took
12:07
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
her life.
12:07
Landra Hughes
And so it took her life. And so I often wonder, there's so many other people who drink so much more than she ever did. Why did this happen to her? But those are the things that we're never going to understand on this side of eternity. And so anyway, so she died January 19 and I called my publisher, they were so sweet.
12:24
Landra Hughes
Was like, I can't. I will not be writing for a while. I'm not even in a headspace to even think that way. But when the time comes, I'll reach back out. And so my husband and I were living in Oklahoma at that time.
12:37
Landra Hughes
And so I'm a Texas girl through and through. So no offense to all the Okies, but Oklahoma's not for me. When I crossed that Red River, I was like, what is happening? I'm like, first off, there's not a Nordstrom in the entire state of Oklahoma. Oh.
12:52
Landra Hughes
No. I don't even even think there's a Saks. Which it's not like I'm the person that shops all the time, but I just want a safe
12:59
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
place to Yeah. Want to be able to be like, okay,
13:01
Landra Hughes
where I can go. But There's one there's great parts. And we loved our time there, but I was just having such a hard time being So whenever she passed away, we moved home. I literally the day after packed our stuff and we moved home. And so then I took some time to process and heal.
13:24
Landra Hughes
And I will tell you, as the kids, the family and we're still pastor's family. So it's like Sunday's still coming no matter what. And so my parents, they were given time to go. They flew out to Florida and to heal because losing a child, I truly can imagine. Just so Yeah.
13:40
Landra Hughes
Was So trauma around a they flew out to heal, we wanted that for them. To get out of Dallas and just where people know them, it was healthy. But it kind of left us on the front lines, the kids. And so I remember our first Sunday back at church and walking through the halls that Leebeth walked through and having to have a new normal was just really hard. But also having everyone coming up to you, it's a blessing.
14:06
Landra Hughes
But it's also like let me heal. And they would say, we're praying for you. I'm like, I need that. But also I just need a little But I needed the church. I needed the place that we helped so many people at.
14:23
Landra Hughes
And we gave our hearts out. We prayed with people. We laughed with people. We cried. But now our family needed those people.
14:29
Landra Hughes
And so I was like, I need to go back to church. So I remember the first Sunday back walking through those halls, walking into the worship center where we had her service. And it was just such a moment for me of number one, having to show strength for others to know that whenever they walk through the hard times, God is with you and he is still good no matter what the circumstances are. And so fast forward to, I remember I was in the CVS parking lot and picking up medicine because who knows what kind of sickness my kids had during that time. And it hit me what I was going to write about.
15:05
Landra Hughes
I was like, I'm not gonna write Leigh Bess' story for her, but I'm gonna honor her life.
15:11
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And
15:12
Landra Hughes
I remember sitting in that CBS parking lot and asking God, where are you? My sister just died. We've served you faithfully. We've done the Lord's work. We've helped the needy.
15:26
Landra Hughes
You know, all the checklists that someone might think would be a great life. Why is this happening to us? I And was just like, where are you in this? And I was like, oh my gosh. Everyone has a this.
15:42
Landra Hughes
Everyone has something that they're walking through where they can't find God in the midst of it. But he's always there. And how do we find God in that? And so that's how I found my second book. And I remember calling the publisher and I said I have it.
15:59
Landra Hughes
And normally when you have work with a publisher they kind of sometimes are like, oh well I don't think that title's good. You should go with this title. But as soon as I said the title they're like, it's perfect. Let's do it. So it's Where Is God At This?
16:09
Landra Hughes
Finding God's Goodness in the Midsts of Life's Struggles.
16:12
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And what's interesting, a few things have just flooded into my mind right now. I have really actively worked at following what Brad was saying last night actually, or yesterday. I'm sorry, I watched it yesterday. No, you're fine. But he talks about our priorities, right?
16:30
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And I shared with you before that I had gone to treatment for workaholism and then my love avoidance stuff from a bunch of trauma in my youth. But my priority was always work, image, the things that will lead us totally astray. And I don't want to say it's easier because that situation is never easy. But if we are focused as mothers, leaders of our household, on those priorities, at least I am consistently reminded that all of this is just for a snapshot. It's for a period of time.
17:13
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Like truly no one is guaranteed tomorrow. And I tell the kids that all the time. For as long as you have me in your life, for as long as we have each other in our life. We pray it's a long time but sometimes that's not the case. This is what I need you to remember for your future because it helps me remember that something may happen to one of them.
17:33
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Or any of them, any of the four of them, right? It's a hard life struggle that you went through with your family. But it's those stories that encourage me at least to lean into the fact that we can't control anything. No. And that's what I tell the kids constantly.
17:56
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
We are all guaranteed extreme struggle on this earth. There's a sliding scale of what difficulties, right? I mean we're not, at least right now, we're not in a Nazi infested world. We're not, right? But sadly we are not guaranteed our freedom.
18:17
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
No. We are not guaranteed our health. So it's those stories that you share so openly, so beautifully, so humbly and in a very approachable manner that make people I think draw to you.
18:33
Landra Hughes
Very good at that. Thank
18:35
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
you. And I always try to be open about my own
18:37
Landra Hughes
struggles, especially on this show for the thousands of It's vulnerability. And I think even through this podcast what I have seen you do, Sarah, is be vulnerable. And I think when we're vulnerable with other people, they're allowed to be vulnerable with themselves. For sure. And they're like, wow, if Sarah can talk about that or Landra can talk about that, maybe I can dig deep in that and be vulnerable with someone else.
18:59
Landra Hughes
Yes. And I always say there's so much power in vulnerability. Sure. God can do so much by you just opening up and admitting, you know what, you're right, I'm not God, but you are. Help me in this situation.
19:11
Landra Hughes
But the enemy loves to creep in and be like, you shouldn't share that. You shouldn't do it.
19:17
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And it's the judgment of ourselves. So the reason I said that I'm trying to work on forgiveness is because Landra, okay, just this holiday season I told you that it was kind of just emotionally charged on many fronts. I don't know how many of us, 20 of us went to Tahoe. And then Hector, family, whatever, we're all good, some friends. And then we went to the ranch.
19:42
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And it was like a revolving door of friends and family of all shapes and sizes. But so many of my not so many, but a few of my dearest friends and family, some family have a lot of heartbreak that they're going through right now. And it was exasperating on so many levels because I was filled with tears. And then in some spaces I found myself leaning into a little bit of judgment. Yeah.
20:12
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Because I was thinking, wait what? How can this person be struggling with this, be doing this right now? And so because I come from a world of recovery. Yes. And I know you do as well.
20:28
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yes. I was on this group call, I think it was last week or so, maybe two weeks ago. And I shared with them this particular book, I'll probably have an easier time finding it on my phone. But I was talking to them about my own struggles. Most of the women on the call are alcoholics.
20:49
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I'm not a substance Yeah. Struggler but I have plenty of process related issues. Yes. And so my control, my workaholism, my perfectionism, that's what I'm attacking every day. Do you find that you, because you're hard on yourself as well, do you struggle with judgment?
21:08
Landra Hughes
Oh my word.
21:09
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
You know what I'm saying? Just like how can you do that? How can you do and how do you, if you do in fact struggle with that, call yourself to remember none of us. We cannot judge. How do you make that mental shift for yourself and how do you talk to your kids about it?
21:27
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
What I'm looking up all this stuff.
21:28
Landra Hughes
And I think it's really hard with judgment because my mom used to always say, because us as siblings would just fight and be like, this person did this. And she would be like, don't look at the speck in someone else's eyes when you have a boulder in your own eyes.
21:43
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Oh my gosh that's what Lewis told his
21:44
Landra Hughes
Yes. Exactly. And I was like That's absolutely right. And so when I judge others, who am I to judge? First off, I'm not the ultimate judge, the Lord is.
21:55
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
That's
21:55
Landra Hughes
right. But who am I on this earth to play God and to judge others when I have so many things in my own life? And I definitely am struggling with this. And I have a sweet husband who puts me in my place in a right way. Because there was a situation where I did that with another family member.
22:10
Landra Hughes
And he was like, Leandro, why are you judging them when you just did this? And I was like, don't you didn't say that. Know when your husband says something right, you're like, I don't receive that. But then a couple days later I was like, oh my word, he's so right. And so I go back to realizing that I'm not God.
22:30
Landra Hughes
God is the ultimate judge. But who am I to judge when I have a fallen heart? And that should encourage me get my own heart right. Don't focus so much on what other people are doing. Focus on what you're doing.
22:41
Landra Hughes
Because you're pleasing an audience of one. I'm not pleasing my girlfriend over here, my girlfriend over there, or shoot, with social media, the whole world.
22:50
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Oh gosh.
22:50
Landra Hughes
I please an audience of one. So that kind of helps me with that judgment call, if that makes sense.
22:55
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Of course. Of course, yes. I wanted to hear your perspective as well because clearly you're in this space. This is
23:03
Landra Hughes
your industry,
23:04
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And if you will, what I was sharing with these women, a book, The Gulag Archipelago. And so it's a quote that I put and that I spoke to everyone about was the line separating good and evil passes not through states nor between classes nor between political parties either but right through every human heart. And this gentleman, Soviet era, was essentially in a work prison camp and wrote about the capacity that every single person has for evil and goodness. It's a capacity. And so it's staying away from the narrative that there are good people and there are evil people.
23:53
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
No, all of us have it. All of us have that in us. It's just how we frame our mind and our minds and the minds of our children to ensure that we're not using language like they're a really dark person, they're a very evil person. So those types of narratives is what I particularly fight against.
24:18
Landra Hughes
Oh, And especially in our world where you see evil That's right.
24:22
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
On the daily. Daily. Minute by minute.
24:25
Landra Hughes
Gosh, even I remember something with the whole Charlie Kirk thing that happened because obviously that shook so many people. Of course. But we had some people, you know, were very aware in our church and our size of like security and different stuff. We had some people come into our building that were kind of iffy. And in that moment they probably had lifestyles that we didn't support.
24:50
Landra Hughes
Sure. And the next day I felt so convicted about it because they got to hear the service. They didn't do anything. Nothing was happening. They just attended church.
24:59
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But we
24:59
Landra Hughes
knew that there were certain individuals. And that next morning I was like, you know what? We as Christ followers are called to pray for them. Absolutely. Like what if the message that they heard shifted something in their heart?
25:13
Landra Hughes
And so I don't applaud their behavior. I love them, but I need to pray for them and pray that something shifted in their mind and in their heart during the service they could turn away from that. Even like Charlie Kirk's situation, for instance, like that shooter. Like praying for his soul. And I believe that Charlie would want that too as well.
25:36
Landra Hughes
That he would want his soul, no matter how much evil he did upon his family, upon his wife, upon his kids, that he would turn and have relationship with Jesus Christ. And that really kind of shook me. And so my prayer too in this world is it's easy with our kids to be like, it's just evil. It is evil. And I do call out certain things in our world.
25:56
Landra Hughes
Do teach I our kids do too. That there is a difference of good and evil.
25:59
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
For sure.
26:00
Landra Hughes
But again, we can pray for those people. And that goes back to what Jesus would do. That's right. That's right.
26:10
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yeah, it's certainly special and interesting to me because you and I, I think we were at my house in Dallas, not at the ranch, and we talked about, you shared a story with me about someone recognizing or it was, I don't if it was a satanist or what, but they could recognize prayer over children.
26:33
Landra Hughes
Yes. Would you mind sharing that story?
26:35
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And then I'll share a little bit about why I'm even bringing this up.
26:38
Landra Hughes
Yes, and I wish I had the legit facts behind it, but I know it was a true story. It actually happened up north, which I actually recently went up north. My husband's sister lives up there, and it is so different than Texas. I'm very thankful for where we live. I mean, I passed elementary schools with pride flags and everything.
26:55
Landra Hughes
And that was just different for me. Not saying it's a bad area, but it was very different because I feel like in Texas we live in this bubble sometimes, like the conservative bubble.
27:03
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Sure.
27:03
Landra Hughes
And living outside of it for a little bit, I was like, wow, this is just different. And so anyway, it was up north and there was a Satanist who went to a school to do a class reading. And during that reading, the Satanist or even the I don't know if they called her a witch or whatnot she tried to kind of persuade some of the children. And so later on, I think she was talking to one of the school boards or a mother or principal. I don't know who she was talking to.
27:32
Landra Hughes
But she said that I could tell which parents pray each day over their kids. Because my spells or anything I tried to project on them could not be projected. And that hit home with me because I was like, man, every morning that I drop my daughter, she's in school, off at school, I pray for her. Because ultimately, I let her into someone else's hands. Like I'm a control freak.
28:00
Landra Hughes
And so when I give control up of my prized possession, my daughter, to someone else, I pray that the Lord would just keep her safe. And hearing that story of no matter what comes in her way, I know that the Lord has his hand on her life.
28:15
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And
28:16
Landra Hughes
that was just such a cool story to me and just really hit home about the power of a praying parent. And the power of praying over our kids. And I remember I pray over Sterling every day and I'm sometimes like, I love you in Jesus name. You know, like real quick because But we're late for I know those prayers are prayed over her and that's important.
28:35
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And I think we got on that topic at my house because I was sharing with you how at this treatment center that I was at, a bunch of us there had just a ton of trauma. Most sexual trauma, but a lot of us had different forms. And this one night where we were kind of sharing with the structure of a 12 step format, one of the women there who was struggling with suicidal ideations, I saw her face distorting and morphing in front of me. And as God is my witness, because I'm not a person who has a gift of seeing into the supernatural, I'm just not. I've had maybe two or three events in my life that are really poignant and absolutely was real.
29:26
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But when I saw her face distorting, I looked around me, no one else could see it. And so I felt very called the next day. It was really put on my heart. I slept with the bible open on my chest that I was a little terrified because that's not something that happens to me. But I recognized in that point this is not this person speaking.
29:50
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Something was literally speaking through her. And so either way, that next day whenever I told this lady what I had seen, I was a little freaked out of myself about sharing it. But I shared with her, hey I saw this happening. I'm not sure if you believe in good and evil in the supernatural at all, it's real. What you were saying and speaking was not you.
30:22
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And then I explained it to her like I saw it. I said it was like the dementor from Harry Potter's. Like Harry Potter sucking your face as you were speaking, but it was coming from within you. So I asked her have you ever opened yourself up to anything like that? Would you go through any deliverance?
30:40
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And then she told me I'm a member of the satanic temple. And at that point I realized that forever changed the way I approached my life. That was it. Because of course I went to non denominational school from first to twelfth grade. I don't know if you know Abundant Living Faith Center in El Paso.
31:01
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yes. That was the school that it
31:03
Landra Hughes
was
31:04
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
associated with or affiliated with. I knew that the spiritual realm was real. But I clearly didn't always live my life in a way that was pleasing to God. Although I knew better. Yeah.
31:20
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
So that age of accountability window, that kind of grows as all of us grow. I know that there's debates about when we're going to be held accountable from youth and on. But I certainly knew better. I just never realized that someone could be so demonized that they were literally left with wanting to take their life. So then from that point forward, like I said, it changed the scope of how I approached my faith.
31:56
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
The realness of it, it was just made very real. There was no denying it for me at that point. I know a lot of people don't go through things that show them this, Yeah. Right, like I did. Yeah.
32:10
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But have you ever experienced anything in your life that showed you in a very undeniable way?
32:19
Landra Hughes
Yeah. You have? Oh yeah. You have. Not exactly on that realm, obviously, but I even think about the death of my sister.
32:31
Landra Hughes
I remember I shared this in a few messages that I preached, but when it was time for her to pass, like she basically ended up having a seizure at my parents' house here in Dallas. There was no life. My mom was traveling and visiting her mom. And my dad followed her to the hospital. And it was during COVID, so he couldn't go to the ambulance, which now looking back, it's like, was that a blessing?
32:59
Landra Hughes
And so they get to the hospital room. I'm in Oklahoma. My twin sister is in Dallas. And then my brother is at the hospital with my dad. And my dad's on FaceTime and the doctor lets us know like there was nothing we could do.
33:12
Landra Hughes
Like we have her on life support, but we're just keeping her for you all to say your goodbyes. And in that moment it's like the worst moment of your life, you know? And I FaceTime and I see her in that hospital bed and it's just like horrible. You never want to see anyone you love in
33:27
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
course. That
33:28
Landra Hughes
And my mom's on FaceTime with my dad. I'm on FaceTime. My twin sister's on FaceTime. And then my brother and my dad are in the room. And you know alarms are going off, all the noises and everything.
33:38
Landra Hughes
And she was passing away. Like my dad was like, Okay guys, she's passing away. And this all happens in a matter of like three hours, you know? So we're still in shock. And you hear wails from my mom.
33:50
Landra Hughes
And my mom's yelling, don't want to hear the alarms go off. Because you hear those alarms and you know that bad things are happening. And my dad's like, you know what we're going do right now? He's like, we're going to sing to God. Because she's entering into heaven.
34:07
Landra Hughes
And I remember being like, sing? Like what? This is like, praise God? This is the worst time of my life, our family's life. And so he was like, we're just going to start singing as a family.
34:21
Landra Hughes
And he's not a singer. And he starts singing, How Great Is Our God. Sing with me how great is our God. And all will sing how great is our God. And everyone just was singing that on The Power of Technology and through tears and all this stuff.
34:41
Landra Hughes
And what I didn't know in that moment is he was setting up for the days, the weeks, and the months, and years to come that no matter what struggle our family might be in, the pain, whatever we might go through, our God is still good.
35:01
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And
35:02
Landra Hughes
we can sing of that. And I think in that moment, that was a moment for me that I was like, gosh, He is good. Because yet it was the worst day of my life. I felt so much peace and comfort that truly only comes from the Lord that surpasses all our as the Bible says in that moment for me. So that was a moment that was just like, man, that like hit me to my core.
35:29
Landra Hughes
And then the next day we had Lee Best therapist come over to our house and just be with us. And I remember she got up, she's a Christian therapist in Dallas, and she said, You know, Leebeth was in ministry but her ministry is just beginning. And I was like, Wow. She's no longer here on earth. She's in heaven, but her ministry is just beginning.
35:53
Landra Hughes
And I'm telling you, Sarah, the amount of lives that we've heard that are changed because of Leigh Best's story and Leigh Best's life. People often ask, how are you able to talk about it and not just cry? Trust me, I have my moments. I'm in the shower, I'm driving on the way home and I'm sobbing in tears. And it comes in waves.
36:11
Landra Hughes
But I truly believe that being able to share LeBeth's story and our family's story of how we're able to walk through that only comes from the Lord. And it's strengthened our faith as a family. Our church has experienced abundant growth and stories and different ways of life change that have just been amazing to see. And it's all from LeBest Life. Also, I feel like so many other families and influence are able to because my dad got up and said, this is how she passed away.
36:46
Landra Hughes
Because I think there's this whole stigma that we're a pastor's family and we don't go through anything. I'm like that's the farthest thing from the truth. Exactly. And so my dad was like, you know what, I want other people to know of influence that they're not alone. And I'm telling you the calls came in after he like, revealed how she passed away of different pastors and leaders and people being like, no.
37:06
Landra Hughes
Our family has struggled. How can how how are we gonna be able to navigate this? And that is the goodness of God.
37:13
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Is that message online? Those stories. Mhmm.
37:14
Lisa Young
She actually called me and said, mom, I'm afraid I'm an alcoholic.
37:21
Ed Young
And that yeah. That that rocked us. Here Lisa texted me that, call me, and and Leebeth has never been, a drinker, you know, or or or someone who partied zero. And that was something that definitely snapped our heads. You start thinking this.
37:43
Ed Young
I'm a pastor, a good guy. Of course, you know, I'm a sinner like everyone, but I'm making here, we've done this. I've done that. And my daughter is in rehab. And, I mean, this is just me.
38:01
Ed Young
I don't mean I can care less about what people think, but, I mean, just like I'm I'm thinking to myself, man, where did you where did you mess up? What what did you do what did you do wrong? You know? And then you have the proverbial question that I'll get into into a little while why. So from there, Libeth did so so well.
38:24
Ed Young
And
38:24
Lisa Young
And we did counseling with her.
38:27
Ed Young
This is what I was writing when Leebeth passed. Genesis twenty two seven, see the bottom? So I'm writing, where's the lamb? Because Isaac wondered, where where's the lamb for the sacrifice? And then I wrote, the lord will provide.
38:47
Ed Young
My next line, laid him on altar on top of the wood. And then I heard a noise. I ran in. I knew something was wrong, and she had a seizure. She was, when I saw her, I thought she was gone right there.
39:09
Ed Young
So pulled her off the bed, went outside, got Jess and EJ, and they were they were unbelievable. So unflappable under pressure. So Jess started performing CPR along with EJ. We called, you know, the ambulance and then I I worked on her a little bit. Then the ambulance got there.
39:37
Ed Young
They could find no pulse, but they did find a faint heartbeat. And as they were working on her, I was just praying, god, heal her. God, in the name of Jesus, heal her. Heal her. And then after a while, they took her away.
39:51
Ed Young
And because of COVID, I I couldn't I couldn't ride in the couldn't ride in the ambulance. So from there, we had, you know, some great friends show up. Obviously, family and and Lisa was, again, FaceTiming. She was in South Carolina. So the doctor came in and I'll never forget what he said.
40:20
Ed Young
He said, we we can't do anything else. We checked her brain and there's gaudy activity. So we anyway.
40:28
Landra Hughes
Well, I think there's a test that they do for activity, but it was more that her blood had, the chemicals were all out of balance in her extremities. There was no blood flow, and they just he just said it's it's not gonna be mean, she's she's not gonna live.
40:52
Ed Young
So?
40:52
Landra Hughes
And, you know, I don't know. I mean, I don't know what to say other than that is not what we wanted. That's not what she wanted. But we've learned so much out of this. And
41:11
Ed Young
And then too, think, Lisa, which
41:12
Landra Hughes
is And God has provided. That's all I can say is God has provided. Yes.
41:17
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
That's extremely powerful. Yes. Extremely powerful. And for you and your, let's say your family, because I'm sure the holidays are a really busy season for you all.
41:28
Landra Hughes
Yes, crazy.
41:29
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Right, and the authenticity that comes with it and there's so much pressure for people to look a certain way, appear a certain way. How do you what truth do you return to when you may feel a little swept up in that? Or do you even feel swept up in the busyness of the holiday season, the New Year season, the things related to the business aspect of the church.
41:57
Landra Hughes
Oh, 100%. For us, have so many services. And we're very detail oriented at our church, so everything lays out. But I think it goes back to my own personal relationship with Jesus Christ and how much I'm spending in the word. And I really try to focus that with my kids.
42:12
Landra Hughes
Because I don't know about you, but their Christmas list was absolutely bananas. And I'm just sitting there thinking, number one, I'm like, what is happening in our culture? Our kids want that kind of stuff. And then I'm thinking, what do I need to be doing in my own life to shift my perspective? And what do I need to be doing in my kid's life to help them see that perspective?
42:37
Landra Hughes
But honestly, this year was one of the best years for me because normally as I bake, I am baking way too much. I make cinnamon rolls for people. I do all these Christmas treats for our staff and teachers and everything. And this year I was like, you know what? I'm going take a step back.
42:52
Landra Hughes
I want to actually soak this season up. But I definitely get caught up in it. Gosh, it's the Christmas parties. It's going from thing to thing. And I think looking back on, I think so many Christmas seasons, I've looked back on Christmas, I was like, how did that go by so fast?
43:09
Landra Hughes
I didn't even get to enjoy it. And so this Christmas, I was like, I want to enjoy it. I want to savor the moments. And so we just did it like a little bit low key and it was amazing. But of course, with all of the stuff at the church and the performances and all this stuff, it's just like go, go, go.
43:24
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Of course.
43:25
Landra Hughes
And I have to like have that go back to my personal relationship with Jesus Christ and to pray those prayers each morning. God, reveal to me what you want me to know today about the Christmas season. And go back to that and that is what helps me kinda stay in check.
43:41
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But it's a battle. Oh, it's a battle. It's so difficult because
43:45
Landra Hughes
we're all trying to do our best. Year we're decompressing. I need a vacation from I'm not ready for the new year.
43:55
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I
43:55
Landra Hughes
know. I've to hit my goals? Excuse me?
43:58
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yep. I'm with you. You talked a little bit about how loneliness is character building. Loneliness brings us closer to God. You shared about your times in a different state, what all of that looked like, the struggles, your loneliness within your family.
44:14
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Can you tell the viewers and listeners how you speak to your kids about that?
44:21
Landra Hughes
Yeah. And I think that's a big part of today's culture. There is loneliness. And even there are seasons of you're not going to have that many friends. Yep.
44:30
Landra Hughes
And that's a hard thing
44:31
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
to grasp. To even watch.
44:33
Landra Hughes
No. To even watch. And think my daughter Sterling is just, she loves people. She loves friends. She loves all of the things.
44:41
Landra Hughes
And so she's had different seasons of friendships. And I believe that all throughout our lives, like even your life Sarah, God has everything that you've walked through, you are who you are today because of it.
44:52
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
That's
44:53
Landra Hughes
right. And you're able to parent because of what you've walked through. And so for me, I had a lot of seasons where I was lonely and didn't have a lot of friends.
45:01
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And
45:03
Landra Hughes
it was really hard in that moment, but now looking back on it, I see how God did amazing things from that and I really was able to filter out who are my right friends in my life. And so it's cool because as I've gone through those kind of like friendship seasons, I'm able to see that in my daughter and eventually in my boys. And so I remember sitting, circling down because she was complaining about some kids saying some rude things and not having as many friends. Or I think one day she told me that she didn't have any friends in her class. And then I started listing the friends in her class.
45:35
Landra Hughes
Sure, sure, sure. I'm like Sterling,
45:37
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
you have a lot of
45:38
Landra Hughes
friends, okay? But I told her, I was like Sterling, you can be everyone's friend but you're sometimes not going to have always a best friend. And I think that's hard to grasp as women because we thrive off of friendships, we thrive off of community. But there's going to be different seasons when you're lonely in life. And I told her, was like, you know what, If you're lonely, use that time to pray.
46:01
Landra Hughes
Use that time to talk to God. Oftentimes at night, she's always like, I'm so bored when she's supposed to go to bed. You know how kids ask everything before they go to bed. Yours probably don't as much, but they still do.
46:12
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Oh my gosh. That is like the time to chat about every I'm
46:17
Speaker 5
like, kid why wants not in the take car line? Yeah. A know. They can't do it.
46:20
Landra Hughes
But those words are so powerful before they are asleep. So she'll often bring up all this stuff. Like I need to do this. I'm lonely, I'm bored, whatever. I'm like, Sterling, talk to God.
46:32
Landra Hughes
Pray. Well how do I do that? Just talk to him about your day. And so I teach her that so that when she's lonely, she's able to do that. Because in my own life, when I've had those seasons of loneliness where I don't have a lot of friends, and if you know, I could talk to this wall right here.
46:46
Landra Hughes
So if I don't have friends, something bad's happening in my life. And so I've had seasons where I don't have that many friends, but I've been able to use that loneliness to grow closer to the Lord. When the enemy likes to take loneliness to self destruct, I feel like the Lord takes that to grow closer to him, if that makes sense.
47:04
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Absolutely. Without question. And then all of the great people, at least in our bible, they spent significant time alone.
47:13
Landra Hughes
Alone. Jesus. Praying think there's beauty
47:16
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
in There is. Being I mean, I hate it, but I believe that whenever my devices were off I had no access to any technology at The Meadows in Arizona.
47:29
Landra Hughes
Which how crazy? Do you remember we were at the same? No. I was at Bermuda Ranch, which was at The Meadows.
47:40
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Hold on, did not know that.
47:43
Landra Hughes
Yeah. Did I not tell you that? No.
47:45
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yes. Or if you did by the pool? Maybe you did.
47:48
Landra Hughes
I I don't know.
47:49
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But I don't remember. I don't think you did. That's nuts.
47:53
Landra Hughes
What's that town called? Wickenburg or
47:54
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
something? Wickenburg. I was in Wickenburg. So it's crazy because it all Yeah, so you know
48:03
Landra Hughes
So what year were you there?
48:04
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
The 2022. My father passed away
48:07
Landra Hughes
Okay, so I was at
48:08
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
the 2022. And I was checked in one week after he passed. Oh my gosh. A lot of my trauma was Did you like the Meadows? It changed my life.
48:19
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Oh really?
48:19
Landra Hughes
See what that did for me is I learned behaviors I didn't know before. It was actually like I got sicker
48:27
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Oh no. In
48:29
Landra Hughes
No, yeah. I hear that.
48:31
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yes, hear that.
48:32
Landra Hughes
But I wanted to come home. And so I got home and I think I was 18. Came home and my parents found the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, the Walker Wellness Center. Saved my life. Got you.
48:44
Landra Hughes
So from then I come home, go through about a year of faking it and masking it saying I'm healed of an eating disorder. No I wasn't. Hit rock bottom and went back to the Walker Wellness Center and they welcomed me with open arms and I started my recovery. It was amazing. So that, like the one in Dallas, changed my life.
49:04
Landra Hughes
But the one in Arizona was just like and I think I was 18. I've never been away from home before. And these people that you're with, oh my word.
49:10
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Oh you were 18? 18. Got you.
49:12
Landra Hughes
I didn't know anything about life. Got you. Wow. Honestly,
49:17
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I I was in my 30s, right?
49:18
Landra Hughes
See people differently because of rehab. I know the hurt of the world. I'm like there is some messed up thing. It's so And I wouldn't have known that in my sheltered Got you. Self.
49:32
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Got you.
49:32
Landra Hughes
I would just be like, oh this person has gone through this, oh that's so hard. But now I'm like, no that's really bad. And it's really affected them. So I believe the Lord, as again, works all things for the good of those who love Him. And I believe that that part of my life, He's opened my eyes to be loving and caring to people.
49:50
Landra Hughes
Because I was on my high horse.
49:51
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Got you.
49:51
Landra Hughes
You know? I wasn't humble enough.
49:54
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I see. I grew up I think so humbly.
49:57
Landra Hughes
Yes, yes.
50:00
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I didn't struggle with that. Like for me, I know where I come from. I know I don't judge people who have different walks of life than me. Don't because that's my family, that's my life. And so I didn't so much have that so I was not shocked based on where people were in their But I was traumatized because the distorting face thing just alone.
50:31
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Did that happen the meadows? At the meadows.
50:33
Landra Hughes
At the meadows.
50:35
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And it's just sickness everywhere. I I had never been around someone with multiple personality disorders, so I had to say, Okay, how am I supposed to know how to address you? Which personality am I speaking with? And many of the other girls were like, you're not afraid to go? And I was
50:51
Landra Hughes
like, no.
50:52
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But I think parts of me were really curious because I thought, well hell, I've never met this. I've never seen this. And I think I shared aspects of my childhood with you. I led such a double life when I was 15. And again I was in the top of my class, mind you.
51:09
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I tried cocaine, acid. Who drops acid when they're 15, 16? I was a mess. So for me I'm like and again I didn't do drugs after really, that's not my personality. But I wanted to try it because that's just who I am.
51:29
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Back to mothering and young women. Because that's Switching. Yeah, yeah, yeah, because that's your cup of tea, but were you just with women there?
51:38
Landra Hughes
Yes. I was too. But sometimes that can be a bad thing.
51:42
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I'm like Oh my gosh, was actually really glad I wasn't with men. I'm glad.
51:46
Landra Hughes
I know
51:48
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
it was hell on earth in that treatment center for me, but I'm glad it was just with women.
51:55
Landra Hughes
Same How for
51:57
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
do you teach your children to lead boldly without seeking approval from the world?
52:06
Landra Hughes
Yeah. I think that's really hard nowadays, especially with social media. For sure.
52:11
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
None of your kids have social at this But point, they will at some point.
52:14
Landra Hughes
They will. And they see me on social which is hard because I'm like I don't want them to see that I value that as much as I do value it, you know? Being convicted. But ultimately it goes like for us as parents to be teaching our kids who they who they are. Yep.
52:32
Landra Hughes
And when I talk about who they are, like, yes, sir, we always say like our kids are Hughes Kids. Mhmm. That's our last name. But ultimately they're gods. Yep.
52:39
Landra Hughes
And teaching them who they are in Christ. Mhmm. And what God's word says about them. And you know, they're fearfully and wonderfully made. They're knit together in my womb and all.
52:49
Landra Hughes
He knows the hairs on your head and all those things. And gosh, as a child, like that fascinates them. You know? And so teaching Sterling that so whenever she has those things that come into her life that she knows who she is. I think that people, you're always going to seek approval.
53:11
Landra Hughes
I'm faced with that every day. I think there's healthiness with that, but then there's an unhealthy side. Because I think it's good to get Botox and all of the stuff that us women get. It's funny, one time my husband was like, Leandra, how are you going to write a book about how to truly love yourself the way God sees you when you get Botox? I'm like, honey, the Lord loves Botox.
53:35
Landra Hughes
I'm like, stop.
53:36
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I'm so sorry. That is so hilarious. I know. Oh my gosh. I love
53:41
Landra Hughes
it. Yeah. And he was like, Leandra, I'm like, honey, this is a non negotiator. Obviously, the Lord knows that science is going to just take off the Botox. So anyway, and I am all about God's word says treat your body as a temple and eating healthy and working out and doing all those things.
54:00
Landra Hughes
Obviously there's an extreme to that. And so teaching Sterling those things in a healthy way. But you see with going through the eating disorder that I went through for five years of my life, I was paranoid to have a girl. Paranoid to
54:15
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
have a little girl.
54:15
Landra Hughes
Because I was like, man, what is she going to pick up on? How am I going to be healthy enough to have her look up to me? Is she going to get some of those things that I used to do? You know, all of that stuff that runs through.
54:28
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yeah, of course.
54:29
Landra Hughes
And really having a little girl has helped me so much because I'm like, man, I want to see myself.
54:34
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Have to model this and this and this.
54:36
Landra Hughes
Yes. And that's the way the Lord works. And so for me, what do I say when I look in the mirror? I'm like, oh man, what is wrong
54:44
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
of us. I don't
54:46
Landra Hughes
know about all of us. No, yes.
54:47
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
But many of us. And I know it's a struggle for many Yes. As
54:52
Landra Hughes
And so it's funny because one day Sterling is so cute and innocent. Her jeans were too small. And she was like, Mom, my jeans are too small. And I was like, Sterling, it's fine. She's like, guess what?
55:03
Landra Hughes
We can go get a new pair. And I was like, yes. And that's how I want to be too. Yes. And that mindset of that childlikeness to be like, it's Okay if your jeans are tight for a season.
55:16
Landra Hughes
It's okay. And for her, she just saw it as like, it almost helped me with that innocence. But I just teach her what God's word says and goes back to that. But ultimately, Sarah, like, I can't teach Sterling those things if I don't know them myself.
55:30
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I know. If we don't model them, live them, eat them, breathe them.
55:32
Landra Hughes
Yes. So how am I supposed to teach my kids to love Teach the my kids to know that if friendships come and go, that they're going to be Okay to be lonely when I'm not modeling that myself. And I think as a parent that's the most convicting thing ever.
55:46
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
To be like, woah, I gotta do
55:48
Landra Hughes
it first and then I can help other people. Course.
55:53
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Of course. It's oh yeah, children for me have been the single most, I guess, come to Jesus space Yes. In my Because I was like, mm-mm, I'm not gonna show up this way. Yeah. I'm not doing it.
56:07
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yeah. And so one other thing that I kind of wanted to end on. But it's something that I believe, maybe two things, but something that I believe is really important within our world. And perhaps mothers and young girls and even fathers, how they can support this particular space. But how do you speak to mothers who feel unseen or overwhelmed in support roles yet have a sense that they have a deeper purpose within them.
56:39
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
They want to be a businesswoman. They want to force change and effect change in the world in a larger way, so to speak, than a support role. How do you speak to yourself, your daughters, women, and what kind of dialogue do you
56:58
Landra Hughes
have with Brad, your father,
57:00
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
the men in your life about that?
57:02
Landra Hughes
I grew up in a very entrepreneurial drive for success. Yes. That's what I know. My husband, on the other hand, did not grow up in that. Yep.
57:13
Landra Hughes
And so for me, I'm always more. Probably to an unhealthy way. I'm just like, I want more. I want to build this or do this and have this. Because my dad's that way.
57:28
Landra Hughes
But I'm realizing my dad has the healthy way and sometimes for me I'm just striving for more. And Brad has really tried to help me with being content because I don't like being content. And I'm like, let's go here, let's go there. And it's really scary when I get a call from my dad and he's starting to tell stuff. And I'm like, oh my gosh, we're so much alike.
57:47
Landra Hughes
But the beauty of how God works, my mom is like, Ed, you be content. He's like, Okay. So the spouse helps you out with that. But I have a really hard time with being content and always wanting more and always wanting to start this and do this. And I'm like, well, if I'm so focused on what's next, what am I missing in the now?
58:04
Landra Hughes
And for me, it's like being there for my kids and growing our church and building these kind of relationships. And there is going to be the next. But I really believe sometimes we need to focus on the now. And when we focus on the now, the next comes. And I think if we're so focused on the next, we neglect the now and we're just, we have nothing to fall back on.
58:26
Landra Hughes
And that's a scary place to be. And so I would say like for me and my life, growing up I've always had that Me of like too. I get excited starting something and building something. And so with that, I think if there's anyone out there that maybe wrestles with that, I think that there's this whole stigma. You know how there's natural childbirth unmedicated and then there's the hospital childbirth.
58:56
Landra Hughes
And moms feel less than if they have their baby
59:01
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
in a hospital.
59:01
Landra Hughes
I don't know if you know that whole thing now.
59:03
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
No, I had twins, so for me
59:05
Landra Hughes
Oh girl, it's a huge thing. Huge thing It hurts to these. Like there's breastfed or formula. Oh yeah. Of So right now there's a whole thing that if you have an epidural, it's almost like you're less than.
59:18
Landra Hughes
Oh girl, it's huge right now.
59:21
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
So what do people do if they need to take an emergency cesarean and the mother That's the whole thing. The son's
59:25
Landra Hughes
dying losing And I know it goes back to medicine, all that. With our world today, I understand with the vaccines, trust me. You know how my stance would be on that. But again, I know that I'm not a less than mom because I had an epidural. Am a Brad and I's marriage is better because I haven't had an epidural.
59:49
Landra Hughes
You could be like, we're done. Oh my gosh, You've done things so too crazy. And so what was I saying? Oh, but there's this whole stigma upon that. And so I think for moms, they get worried that I have to be a stay at home mom, or I have to be a stay at home homeschool mom, for crying out loud.
60:08
Landra Hughes
Yep.
60:08
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
That's my sister.
60:09
Landra Hughes
She She homeschools. Has not called me to homeschool. He hasn't.
60:14
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I love I will.
60:16
Landra Hughes
My kids also need school. Sterling thrives in school.
60:21
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yeah. So do mine. And she needs relationships,
60:23
Landra Hughes
she needs routine. I cannot give that to her. And that's Okay. And I am not being a less than mom or not following God's word by not homeschooling. But there's this whole stigma.
60:35
Landra Hughes
I think with social media, it's huge. I And even we moved into a different we used to live in Dallas where everyone's working, everyone's staying at home, but we moved to the suburbs. In the suburbs, everyone stays at home. And so it's almost like So you're in the suburbs now?
60:49
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yes, girl. I
60:50
Landra Hughes
know. I'm like Southlake Trophy Club, Westlake Oh
60:53
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
gosh, By Hector and I.
60:55
Landra Hughes
Yes. Okay, got you. So everyone there stays home. Very rarely
61:01
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
do
61:01
Landra Hughes
you have working moms. Got And so all of a sudden I'm helping out the church, I'm doing my thing, and it's like, well what do you do? Everyone's like, do you stay home? And I'm like, no. I go and talk.
61:13
Landra Hughes
And it was almost this moment where I felt guilty. And I was like, wait. And so for a season I was actually like, I'm going to stay home. I'm going stay at Brad's like Leandro, why are you doing that? And so I'm like, I'm to stay home.
61:24
Landra Hughes
So then I stayed home. I think we last talked about staying home, doing some other stuff. And I've actually recently quit all of that and going back to working and building stuff but also being with my kids. There's a balance of both. I can have my kids and spend time with them but also have moments like this.
61:44
Landra Hughes
And I believe that God has called me and put a certain calling in my life to speak to things that we've talked about. And I wouldn't be able to do that if I'm home scrubbing floors. I do scrub my floors, but I wouldn't be able to do that right now if I was so focused on that. And so to any women that is wrestling with that fact, number one, pray about it. And if God has placed that on your heart to do more, to build something, to go out, talk to your husband about it.
62:14
Landra Hughes
And if your husband is not on the same page with you, pray that God reveals something in your husband that helps you be able to do that. Because I really believe a unified front is super important when you're making these big decisions. But I would say go for it. I mean, like we talked about earlier, life's too short.
62:31
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I
62:32
Landra Hughes
also want to show my daughter that I could build something and that she can look up and be like, woah. She knows what daddy does, obviously. She knows what my dad does and all of that, which is so cool. But I want her to see that. And even if I build something and it's not a success, I want her to see that I tried.
62:51
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Exactly. Exactly.
62:54
Landra Hughes
That's it. Because I want her to go out and try. Same with grades for us. Our family, I'm not super book smart, even though I've written two books. I'm not super book smart.
63:04
Landra Hughes
But my parents would always say with grades, they're like, Landra, if you try, we know you did your best. That's what we love. It's not about As and Bs, but if you try. But it was funny because when I tried, I would get good grades. And so that is the same mindset that I put into my life.
63:21
Landra Hughes
So even with our kids, we're like if you try your hardest with sports, everything. I remember Sterling on the soccer field. I'm so competitive with athletics. I could tell she wasn't trying.
63:31
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Got you.
63:32
Landra Hughes
And I could see it in her face. And so I just, in the car I was like, Sterling, I was so upset at her. And you know with sports, you have to like, as a mom who's done sports, I have to take a step back. Oh yeah. And be like, Landra, you are not in the first grade soccer field right now.
63:43
Landra Hughes
Yes. This is not happening. I remember looking at That's mini parrots. Yes. I know.
63:48
Landra Hughes
I remember looking at her and being like, she's like, why are you upset? And I was like, Sterling, I'm not upset, but you didn't try. And we're never going to be upset at you but we want you to try. You always have to try. Anything you do, school, whatever, you try.
64:05
Landra Hughes
And she was like, you're right, I didn't try. I need to try. And so it was such a cool moment where I was like, try it out. Do it. So any woman I would say, try it out and see what God does with it.
64:15
Landra Hughes
And I know that if it's his will, it will work out.
64:18
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yeah. I love Thank you for sharing that perspective because it's also different in our school as well. Many mothers day at home. Which that's great. It is great.
64:31
Landra Hughes
I celebrate that. I do. And I was
64:34
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
very clear with Monty when we got together that I'm just not built that way. Yes. And clearly I was running my food company that I eventually had to shut down. But either way there was a success that came out of that, right? Being able to make all my investors whole and pocket myself But and all the it very difficult to let that go.
64:57
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Very difficult. But I would have missed out on a lot
65:01
Landra Hughes
of
65:02
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
my And it's a balance.
65:04
Landra Hughes
Don't Yeah. Put yourself in a situation where you're focusing more on that. Ultimately it is God family. And so you have got as a mom to and am I helping my husband to be all who God has called him to be? Because that's an important role for me.
65:23
Landra Hughes
And am I helping my kids? And if you're so busy in your work life and you're not able to do that, take a step back and eliminate some things in your life For sure. That are going to let you For sure. Do
65:35
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Yep. That's And
65:36
Landra Hughes
could still be a girl boss.
65:37
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
1000%.
65:38
Landra Hughes
You
65:38
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
know? 1000%. I had to embrace that. Yes. Because my husband really did not want me to take private equity money or any And money in my then our nanny Elaine said, Sarah you're working like you're the sole provider of this home.
65:55
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
And I was like,
65:57
Landra Hughes
a step back. This is a problem.
65:58
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
You're Okay. This is a problem. It was all a problem. So anyways, I clearly had to face some of my own demons. Figure out why it was so important to me to, but good.
66:11
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Do you have anything else that you'd like to leave viewers and listeners with as we start the new year? Yes. And as people are setting goals and they may drift, grace with themselves, anything. Anything that you're wanting to share that we haven't covered. I don't think I asked any questions except for my two on Girl, the I'm so sorry.
66:33
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
Girl, don't worry.
66:34
Landra Hughes
I love this. Well, hope. Well, would say two things that stick out to me the most. Number one is if you're listening and you don't have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, know that God loves you, He cares about you, and He longs relationship with you. No matter what you've done last night, the week before, or the month, Come to Him and He will be able to completely transform your life.
66:56
Landra Hughes
Is a Christian walk perfect, Sarah? No, it's not perfect. But living with Christ is truly like none other. But admitting that we're sinners in need of a savior and having a relationship with Him and praying that prayer. And if you have questions on how to pray that prayer, I'm sure there's a way to comment and I'm sure you or someone on your team would love to reach out to them.
67:19
Landra Hughes
But having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the first and foremost. And the second thing is finding a church. If you're in an area, find a Bible believing church that speaks God's word and speaks the truth in God's word is such a huge part of my life in my Christian walks. That's what I would say for those two things for listeners, and just be in God's word for this year and be expected to what God is going to do. So often we could be expected on what we're going to do, but let's be expected on what God is gonna do in our life this year.
67:50
Landra Hughes
I love
67:50
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
that. Thank you so much for being Of course, here,
67:53
Landra Hughes
I'm so excited.
67:53
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
I can't wait to see more of you in twenty twenty six.
67:55
Landra Hughes
Of course, there'll be bidding more.
67:57
Sarah Zubiate Bennett
There will be, thank you.
67:58
Landra Hughes
Yes, of course.
featuring our host.
SARAH ZUBIATE BENNETT
Venture Philanthropist, Host and Executive Producer of Let’s Talk Local, bold leader driving growth in private and social sectors.
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